AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL TO ADD CROSS COUNTRY AND TRACK AND FIELD

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (June 5, 2006) - American International College Director of Athletics Richard Bedard announced Monday that the College will add the sports of men's and women's cross country and men's and women's track and field (indoor and outdoor) effective with the 2006-07 academic year.  With the addition of six sports, American International will now field 22 intercollegiate varsity teams.

In addition, Bedard announced that Leo Mayo has been named the head coach for the track and cross country programs.

"Track and cross country were programs that the College had been looking into adding for some time," said Bedard, who was recently named athletic director.  "When Leo came along, the administration and myself knew that he was the right person to help us get these programs off the ground."

For the past two years, Mayo has served as head cross country coach and head indoor track coach at Bloomfield High School in Connecticut, while assisting with Bloomfield's outdoor track program.  In cross country, Mayo took over a program that had no returning runners and within two years fielded full squads in both boys' and girls' cross country for the first time in five years at Bloomfield.  Mayo had one female All-Conference runner as well as the top freshman runner in the conference.

In indoor track, Mayo coached a National Qualifier in triple jump as well as a 4x800 relay squad that set a school record.  In addition, he mentored two All-Conference sprinters.  As an assistant on the outdoor track team, Mayo created a middle and long distance program and coached nine All-New England athletes and had National Qualifiers in the 4x100 relay, the 800m medley and the triple jump.

A 2002 graduate of Central Connecticut State University, Mayo earned his bachelor's degree in Physical Education with a concentration in Health Fitness.  He competed in both cross country and track and field for the Blue Devils, earning All-Northeast Conference honors in 1998 and 1999 while receiving All-IC4A accolades in 2001.  Mayo also holds Central's school record in the 3000m (8:33).